2022 Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) assembly report
2022 Assembly Reports:
View reports for our 2022 assembly on our assembly report page and in this collection of blog posts.
Representing member congregations of the Grand Canyon and Sierra Pacific Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) advocates for the common good and promotes public policies that reflect the Christian values of peace, justice, dignity, reconciliation, and empowerment for all people, as well as for care of creation. Advocates on these issues, in both public and private sectors of society, provide representation for those who are denied access to the political process due to current conditions or limitations.
The social statements of the ELCA, provide the basis for identifying issues, developing policy statements, and establishing positions for advocacy. LEAN’s essential guiding scripture is Matthew 25: 42-45, verse 25 in particular: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
LEAN was originally formed by Nevada pastor Ron Rentner in 1991 as Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Nevada (LAMN), which – in partnership with Religious Alliance in Nevada (RAIN) — registered its first lobbyist with the Nevada Legislature in 2001. After a quarter century as a lawyer working in public service and a lifelong Christian and Lutheran, Larry Struve was an apt choice to work with the Nevada Legislature to consider, write and pass legislation that takes protection and lifting up of “the least of these” to heart. Made up of ELCA clergy and lay congregation members, the LAMN policy council directed the advocate for the passage of key legislation in criminal justice reform, taxation, the death penalty, welfare reform, hunger and housing.
LAMN, then LEAN, has continued its commitment to Christian-based advocacy through several lobbyists including the current Director, Bill Ledford. A Reno resident and member of Lutheran Church of Good Shepherd – where Larry Struve is also a member – Bill has carried on his duties as advocate while attending seminary and studying to become an ordained Lutheran pastor.
In the 2021 Nevada Legislative Session, the LEAN policy council directed Bill to advocate for legislation that furthered the protection of and service to disadvantaged Nevadans, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to test the state’s public services and strain funding sources. Through online participation in legislative committee and session work, Bill’s hard work and leadership helped put more than a dozen LEAN-supported laws on the books in the following areas: Hunger, Health and Human Services, Voter Access, Justice Reform, and Racial & Gender Justice & Equity.
For the upcoming 2023 session, LEAN will continue to identify, follow and advocate for or against proposed legislation in keeping with its commitment to the ELCA Social Statements and the scripture that underpins all faith-based advocacy.
In the meantime, LEAN’s policy council is planning events that will help congregation members statewide understand issues that continue to affect our neighbors, including hunger, homelessness and economic inequality, and invite them to be active and involved advocates within their Christian communities, and in society at large.
LEAN is also actively seeking new policy council members to represent the largest possible breadth of Lutheran believer. The organization would welcome fresh perspectives, attitudes and sensibilities as it charts its future goals as a vital and active advocate for all Nevadans.
For more information, to volunteer or make a donation, visit www.leanforjustice.org